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This block season seems to be open at this point of testing. It seems that there is a possibility of a variety of decks that can be present in the current format. This article is going to start to touch of the variables that are involved in the current format. Let’s start with the wide range of color combinations (two color and mono color) that can produce decks in the format.

Green/Red “Frog” type decksThese try to use the “Frog in a Blender” approach to the OBC domain. Just like the version in type 2, this deck has issues with the beefier creatures present in the current environment. Remember that you have to be able to deal with 6/6 worm tokens!

Green/Red Madness (Both Creatures and Burn)This deck tries to bring “Fires” into the OBC domain. The biggest difference is the lack of the game breaking spell such as Saporling burst. This type of deck seems to have issues with mono black builds, but can deal with the Frog type decks.

Green/Blue seems to have the most diversity of all the color combinations. This is partly due quiet speculation in the format and the plethora of “mirror” matchups.

Starcitygames.com had a good article, Exspec the Unexspected (nice play on Quiet Speculation

or not?” I don’t have mush to add to the article, so I will just recommend it for a read. Look at the OBC section on this site for the link.

Green/White is the color combination pushed by the release of Judgment. Some very nice options with the new “man-land” exist. The basic deficiency of the deck is the lack of card drawing spells. With this in mind, testing against mono-black is a must so you know how to deal with their removal and hand destruction. Green/White also brings a possible combo deck to the environment in the combination of Genesis

Green/Black adds the removal of black with the flashback/threshold mechanisms of green. This format is being defined by the inexpensive cost of the green creatures (mongrel, rootwalla, and worms). Again this deck needs to be tested against the speed of the Green/Blue decks and the power of the mono-black builds. With green creatures in the mix, there can be two very different builds of this deck type for threshold or madness.

Red/Blue is a color combination that might be too slow for the environment. The creatures seem to be a bit lacking compared to the green monsters. Blue’s control is almost non existent in this format (except for bounce).

Red/White could be an interesting deck to dive into. White Weenie seems to be viable with the massive amount of low casting cost creatures and the Sacrament. Red could be a color added for removal in the mix, but Blue for the card drawing might be a better fit.

Red/Black seems to give you the most removal options in the format. It also brings a combo deck into the environment (Again check out Starcity for an article describing this deck). Red/Black might be the best abuse the punisher cards. I have both creature horde and creature light builds in this color combination.

Blue/White is a deck that seems to be growing in popularity. You can attach the card drawing of blue to a WW deck that has a way to deal with the longer matches (Keep Watch

Blue/Black seems to have a very diverse amount of choices. I have seen builds of almost all black adding a few blue spells for bounce and card drawing. I have also the reverse (blue with black splash). There is a possibility of a combo type deck in the way of Mists of Stagnation, but to my play testing avail, I have not found a consistent way to abuse the card in the block format.

Mono-black is a deck that is evolving from the Osaka builds. This deck has very powerful tools in its removal and disruption. Shades can get mighty big, and the butchers can become a powerful token killer. This is a deck type that must be considered in your testing.

Mono-green builds bring a vast amount of creatures to the mix. You also have the possibility of a game breaking spell in overrun (which are nice with Deserted Temple

). The mass removal (mutilate) can be a real issue with the deck. The Sacrament can make your army powerful quickly, but you must be able to deal with the quick worm tokens of Green/Blue.

Mono-red relies on the vast number of punisher cards in the environment. This deck has had issues with the 6/6 worm tokens, but punishing cards (take damage, or effect does ~this~ to you) may make this a formidable deck. This could evolve into a sligh type deck, but I think the white might have a tighter mana curve for this approach.

Mono-blue seems to be a little slow in the environment. Blue seems to be a great support color for the others, but does not seem to hold up very well on its own. I could be proven wrong here, but as mono color decks go, this could be the weakest in the format.

Hopefully this helps in your construction adventures into the OBC realm. As playtesting progresses, I will start to share my thoughts and ideas for more specific deck choices.

As always questions and comments are appreciated.

Thanks for Reading,

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